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It was a very cold night for the end of winter in March, I was only seventeen when it happened. Back then I was a crazy blond that didn't care about life. I wasn't told about the curse that was put upon my family, the only time that I was told something was when I got punished. But I should have taken my life for granted before it was changed forever that faithful night in the forbidden woods...____________________________________________________________________ "Come on Cathy, are you scared?" said Thomas with a grin. "There's nothing to be afraid about?" he said, as we all walked towards the entrance of the woods. The lot of use lived in a small almost forgotten town. After the new highway was put in no one seemed to try travelling down to a town in the middle of the mountains. We all went to school together, if you could even call it school; with twenty or less kids in each year level it was obvious the place should have closed down years ago, yet it still survived miraculously till this day.It was the 70's.No one really gave a shit about what kids were up to as long as they stayed out of trouble, especially if you were in a town like ours.Mr Wormwestal was the only one usually on kids backs about doing stingy things. He lived in an old one-story house a bit out from the rest of the town. He was a hermit like that, always snooping around with his too long noise into everyone else's business before crawling back to his hide away, out of sight from watchful eyes. Its white paint worn away with time, the grass drying up like the Sahara Desert and some parts of the roofing falling down leaving broken tiles on the ground far below. But there was one thing about him, he was terrified of the woods that was near the town. He always said monsters that took away your family lived in there.Most people didn't believe his tails of weird tall looming dark figures that took people from their homes, their tents, or even just as they walked near the forest. Some people however did believe him. Who couldn't after so many people over the years went missing inside the said forest.The forest your friends were trying to convince you to walk inside."Look..." Said Scout with a calm face and smug grin. "We'll be back by dawn, and it would be like we never left." A pulled on confident face appeared soon after, slight concern hidden under her act of bravery. Typical for her to follow everyone else. She was the type of tom boy who did crazy stunts. The last time you were all together she tried jumping across a river with rocks all around the place. Thankfully we all convinced her to not be an idiot. She ended up diving into the water instead and almost caught hypothermia.I breathed in the fresh air while listening to my friends trying to give me the facade of confidence most of them had. They were obviously trying to do this as a popularity stunt. That's what kids, teens and sometimes even young adults do in this town to show how courageous they were to the younger generations in hopes to become 'legends' and 'never forget'."And have a look, I brought snacks." Said Tristen. He out of all of us would be the smartest... food-wise. If you ever needed someone to cook up something with a limited amount of ingredients, he was your guy. Half the time you were surprised how he could make a seemingly impossible meal out of little to nothing. It was a unique and useful skill. If only he was anywhere but this town, he could have gone on to become something big."Anyway, it's your choice," said Jed with a now sourer face, losing his patience. If only he were at your house in winter, he would heat up the whole place with his hot temper alone."So...." said Thomas running his hand through his luscious raven hair."Will you?"I stood there on the spot. It was said that no one had gone into the woods since the knights used to roam these lands. As if! Everyone looked at me waiting. I thought to myself at 'least I would have something to do today'."Okay," I said with a deep breath."I'll come"."That's a girl", said Jed."At last, you decide to do something exciting in your fancy life." I agree with Jed, at least I was doing something instead of staying in a stuffy old mansion.